Moving a storm shelter

cowpatty · Jan 18, 2012

OK here it is guys. I have been given a 6'x8' precast storm shelter. The trick is i need to move it from where it is in the ground to my house. I have a Kubota b21 to do the digging and cleanup but other than calling companies that sell and install these things I am stumped on how to get it out of the hole it sits in to my hole I am about to dig. Any ideas??

GPintheMitten · Jan 18, 2012

Try to find out how much it weighs. I would try and lift it out of the whole with the back hoe. If you can't lift it out then I would dig a ramp and try to pull it up.

Those are my ideas so far.

strum456 · Jan 18, 2012

Im assuming it is a concrete box, like a septic tank. If so, you are going to need a much bigget tractor to lift it.

gwjd · Jan 18, 2012

call a company that puts these in then you do all the prep on both ends have them move it between they have all the gear and do it all the time if you break it trying to move it your out of luck

dstig1 · Jan 18, 2012

concrete weighs anywhere from 100-150 pounds per cubic foot. Figure out how thick the walls are and calculate how many Cu ft of concrete are in it an that will give you a range for how much it weighs. But I highly doubt you will have the lift capacity, reach or lift height to do it with a B.

cowpatty · Jan 18, 2012

I know for a fact my tractor wouldn't even wiggle this thing much less move it. It will sure dig the hole though. Just curious if anyone has heard of this or even tackled it and if so what equipment they used.

2458n · Jan 18, 2012

Beneath the cell towers in our area there is usually a concrete building set on a concrete slab. This to keep all the expensive stuff from getting damaged when ice falls off the towers. They came in on a semi and were set by a crane. Your B will be a digging tool only.

Depmandog · Jan 18, 2012

My best GUESS is this building could weigh close to 16,000, which you would need a 70,000 pound excavator to be able to handle this, like a Komatsu 300 series machine. If the building weighs more than that, you might need to bump up to a bigger excavator, depending on soil conditions, etc.

In my area, that class of excavator is oversized, requiring permitting to move. Just to move across town you are looking at $400 each way. So I assume three trips (shop to the building, to the new location and back to the shop). Plus another trailer to haul the building. Time it is dug, moved and reset, probably an all day affair @ 175/ hour. So I would guess you are at $3,000 plus the trailer to move the building, and guessing on the oversized permit costs.